Oakland and 4 Other Counties Taken Off Pipeline Route

The route has been changed for a large, 42-inch pipeline planned by Rover Pipeline, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Pipeline. (Photo by Flickr user Stuck in Customs/Creative Commons)

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Five Michigan counties – Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Genesee, Shiawassee and Lapeer – have been removed from the proposed route of the proposed ET Rover pipeline.

Rover Pipeline, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, plans to build the 42-inch natural-gas transmission pipeline to move more than 3 billion cubic feet of gas per day from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to Midwest markets through a hub near Sarnia, Ontario, the Detroit Free Press reports.

The change in the route comes from a deal between Rover Pipeline and DTE Energy and Canadian oil and gas transport giant Enbridge, which jointly operate the Vector pipeline, which would interconnect with the ET Rover pipeline.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, hailed the deal, which she says limits inconvenience to residents whose lives were disrupted for months in 2013 as Enbridge replaced its Line 6B pipeline. Miller asked the Federal Regulatory Commission to “thoroughly and transparently” address residents’ concerns.

“I have long advocated for greater access to energy, and that obviously means additional infrastructure to transport it, but we must ensure that we do it in a way that minimizes disruption for homeowners and local communities,” she said in a statement. “Now, as a result of this contract, local residents will gain greater access to affordable energy without the hassle and worries associated with new construction.”

The ET Rover pipeline will still run through the counties of Lenawee, Washtenaw and Livingston.

Richard Knopf, who lives near the Washtenaw-Livingston county line in Pinckney, is steeling himself for the chaos of months of construction and possible environmental contamination down the road.

“I’m taken aback by the arrogance: ‘We’ve got the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on our side, so we can take your property through the courts if we have to,’” he said.

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